My jalapeno plants are continuously pumping out ripe jalapenos. I don’t want to waste them so I went to an old standby recipe that I haven’t made in a few years: Cowboy Candy.
Check out this YouTube video where I demonstrate how to make this incredibly easy homemade recipe using spicy jalapenos straight from the garden and canning them in a jar with a sweet cowboy candy sauce. The sweet and spicy flavors blend so well together and make an incredible appetizer over cream cheese, as a marinade for meats, or as a complement to any of your entrees. This homemade cowboy candy (candied jalapenos) will impress your family and friends either eating it or as a gift to let somebody know how much you mean to them.
Preparation
Preparation does involve a bit of work to slice up the jalapeno peppers and getting all the other ingredients together.
Cooking it up
You basically throw all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. This includes the apple cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, cayenne pepper, celery seeds and garlic.
The next step is to add in the jalapenos and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Canning
Everything is cooked up so now we just need to transfer the peppers using a slotted spoon to the jars. You come back and fill up to the 1/2″ head space with the candying solution.
Please remember to wipe the rims off with a wet paper towel to ensure the lids will seal better.
Recipe
Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos)
Equipment
- Pressure Canner or Boiling Water Canner
- Gloves, Latex or other
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Peppers, Jalapeno (fresh)
- 2 cups Vinegar, Apple Cider
- 6 cups Sugar, Granulated White
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Celery Seed
- 2 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Pepper, Cayenne
Instructions
- Pick 3 pounds of fresh ripe jalapeno peppers from your garden. If not available, pick some up from the grocery store.
- Wearing gloves, remove the very top and the stem from the jalapeno peppers.
- Slice the peppers in 1/4" rounds. Set aside.
- In a large pot, bring apple cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, minced garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Raise the heat back to a boil and add the jalapeno pepper rounds and return to a hard boil. Reduce heat again and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the jalapeno pepper slices to your clean jars leaving a head space of no less than 1/2".
- Using a ladle, transfer the syrup to fill the jars ensuring you leave a head space of no less than 1/2".
- Wipe the rims with a clean and damp paper towel. Put on lids and screw on top finger tip tight.
- Place jars in a canner ensuring the top of jar is covered with 2" of water. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, boil jars for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool. When safe, remove jars from water using canning tongs and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool for 24 hours.
- Allow jars to sit for 2 – 3 weeks before eating as the flavors will mature in that time.